Roger Staubach Earns Another Historic Honor with Sporting News All-Decade All-America Selection
The legacy of Navy football legend Roger Staubach continues to grow.
The Sporting News has named the former Midshipmen quarterback to its 1960s College Football All-Decade All-America Team, recognizing him as the decade’s top quarterback and further cementing his place among the greatest players in college football history. The honor was announced Monday as part of The Sporting News’ ongoing celebration of the sport’s greatest performers by decade.
For Navy fans, the recognition comes as little surprise.
Staubach remains the standard by which every Midshipmen quarterback is measured. During his career in Annapolis, he transformed Navy into a national powerhouse while becoming one of the most decorated players the sport has ever produced.
His defining season came in 1963, when he captured the Heisman Trophy, becoming just the second player in Naval Academy history to win college football’s most prestigious individual award. That same season, Staubach earned unanimous All-America honors and led the Midshipmen to a 9-2 record and a No. 2 national ranking.
A Decade’s Best
The Sporting News selected Staubach as the quarterback for its All-Decade team ahead of countless legendary signal-callers from the 1960s.
The offense features an impressive collection of college football icons, including:
- QB Roger Staubach (Navy)
- RB O.J. Simpson (USC)
- RB Ernie Davis (Syracuse)
- WR Jack Snow (Notre Dame)
- WR Howard Twilley (Tulsa)
- TE Ted Kwalick (Penn State)
The roster represents the elite players who defined one of college football’s most memorable eras.
A Career Unlike Any Other
Unlike most future NFL stars, Staubach’s football journey included military service before professional football.
Following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy, he fulfilled his active-duty commitment in the U.S. Navy, including service in Vietnam, before eventually joining the Dallas Cowboys. Once in the NFL, he became one of the league’s greatest quarterbacks, leading Dallas to two Super Bowl championships, earning Super Bowl VI MVP honors, and eventually being inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Navy’s Greatest Football Icon
More than six decades after his Heisman season, Staubach remains synonymous with Navy football.
His No. 12 jersey is retired by the Naval Academy, and his list of accolades continues to expand. According to Navy Athletics, Staubach has also been named to the Walter Camp All-Century Team, the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame, and the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium All-Stadium Team.
Every generation of Midshipmen players is measured against the excellence Staubach established during his remarkable career in Annapolis.
MSB Take
Roger Staubach has never simply been the greatest quarterback in Navy history—he is one of the greatest players in the history of college football. Honors such as The Sporting News All-Decade Team remind fans that his impact extends far beyond Annapolis. More than 60 years after winning the Heisman Trophy, Staubach remains the face of Navy football and one of the sport’s most enduring legends.
